Macron backs sanctions on European Union states that refuse migrants

At emergency migration talks in Brussels, a group of 16 countries led by France and Germany were thrashing out who should take responsibility for migrants and refugees arriving in Europe - now mostly Italy, Greece and Spain - how long they should take care of them and how much their European partners should do to help out.

When someone has the right to protection and asylum, we should grant it."A failure to find agreement could threaten the EU's border-free travel area, one of the biggest accomplishments of the bloc's 60-year history.Despite the different perspectives, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said, "progress is possible on Thursday."Encouraged by a deal with Turkey that has slashed the number of people arriving from there by 97 percent since 2015, the European Union appeared ready to greenlight plans to set up screening centers in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia.Plans to set up migrant reception centers in Albania are also under discussion".

This is anathema to the usually flexible Merkel as it would undermine her open-door migrant policy and be a major setback to the EU's Schengen free border system.

He stated this during a press conference with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, reports European Pravda, citing La Provence.

Italy and Malta say they are unfairly bearing the brunt of the new arrivals, while other European countries are urging more forceful policies to block their entry.

While the number of migrants reaching Europe is down, the politics of migration is ever more poisonous.

Europe would beef up its own border force, he said, and strengthen efforts to work with countries like Libya and Balkan states, through which many migrants travel.

The plan appears to have fairly broad support in an European Union now bitterly split over immigration policy, although countries have yet to settle on the details.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said last Thursday a draft European Union accord on migration had been withdrawn after he clashed with Chancellor Angela Merkel over an issue that is splitting Europe. She added, "there will be bilateral and trilateral agreements, how we can help each other, not always wait for all 28 members".

The German charity operating the ship, which is carrying 239 Africans, on Sunday took a swipe at Italy's far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini over his reference in a Facebook post to its consignment of "human flesh".

Macron blamed political posturing more than the actual migration situation for the current uproar in Europe, saying that "we are living through a political crisis more than a migratory crisis today".

But he has also had an uncompromising approach to migration, toughening checks at France's Riviera border with Italy and refusing to accept a ship filled with rescued migrants after Italy's new leaders turned it away earlier this month.

Rome on Saturday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of "arrogance" for turning back migrants at the French-Italian border and minimizing Italy's problem.

Since assuming office several weeks ago, Italy's new government has refused to admit foreign-flagged rescue ships packed with hundreds of migrants.

Even though new arrivals have dropped, the political consequences of migration pressures are still reverberating around Europe.

Taking part in the meeting along with Germany and France were countries such as Italy and Greece, where immigrants and refugees first arrive from Africa and the Middle East.

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